After Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Basad) and a faction of Gonoforum led by Mostafa Mohsin Montu decided to skip the dialogue on the reconstitution of the election commission (EC) hosted by president Abdul Hamid, Islami Andolan Bangladesh now said it would not participate in the dialogue.
Amir of Islami Andolan Bangladesh and pir of Chormonai, Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, said this at a press conferee at the party’s central office in the capital’s Purana Paltan on Saturday. He also demanded the formation of an interim government during the election.
President Abdul Hamid has been hosting dialogue with various political parties since 20 December last year on the formation of the election commission ahead of the 12th national election.
Addressing the press conference, Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim said, “We have been utterly frustrated after participating in the president’s dialogue in 2012 and 2017.”
The election commission formed through the dialogue in 2012 has held a one-sided election in 2014 to reflect the will of the ruling party and 153 lawmakers won that election uncontested, he added.
Besides, the election commission formed through the dialogue in 2017 had conducted a much controversial and incredible election what many people termed it a 'midnight election', Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim added.
Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim said they are utterly disappointed as the president did not hold the election commission accountable over these scandalous elections. The president also took no punitive action either, he said adding none of the proposals they placed during the two previous dialogues for the sake of a fair and credible election were taken into the consideration.
The Islami Andolan chief said the president could not come out of serving the interest of the party that elected him as the president. Like the previous two dialogues failed to fulfil people’s expectation, the current dialogue would be nothing exceptional.
Amid this circumstance, Islami Andolan thinks it is not relevant to participate in such dialogue with no appeal and significance but going against people’s expectation.
Rejecting the dialogue, the party placed a seven-point demand. These include formation of an election-time interim government as it is not possible to hold the fair election under a political government and no formulation of election commission law by the incumbent parliament.
The party said the election commission will have to be constituted by formulating the election commission law which will be drafted through formation of a constitutional council consisting of political organisations and other stakeholders of the society.
Besides, there should have been provisions to remove the election commission’s members, in case any dishonesty, incapability, and biasness are found in election. Home, information and public administration ministries will work under the election commission during the national election.
The election commission must take responsibility to ensure every single crime committed during polls violence. Election officials showing political allegiance must be removed from polls duty permanently, the party demanded.